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People Are Explaining That What Happened To Texans Is Due To The Rich Being Greedy In 30 Posts
The massive winter storm that hit Texas and left millions without any power or heating is bringing the topic of how electricity is being regulated in the state to the forefront of the discussion. In short, the energy infrastructure in Texas isn’t made for cold snaps like the one that shook the southern US. And some people believe that capitalism exacerbated the problem, making the situation far, far worse because companies are competing for customers instead of investing in maintaining the infrastructure.
Among the other controversies, the (now former) mayor of Colorado City, Tim Boyd, has announced that he’s resigning because of a scathingly received post online. Boyd essentially left everyone to fend for themselves and stated that they can expect no help from the authorities.
Have a read through what people said about the situation in Texas online and what their opinions about the link between capitalism and the deadly outages are. Upvote the images that you agree with and be sure to share your own opinions with everyone in the comment section below, dear Readers.
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#1
Easily Excitable Panda 4 years ago
So do G5, EMPs, Chemtrails. They guy who makes my aluminum hats said so.
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Lesley Winstanley 4 years ago
From Canada, our wind turbines are running fine. About -17 C and snowing pretty hard.
Maria Rodriguez 4 years ago
There is a whole state in Mexico that still has power... Because they have a wind farm. WTG Oaxaca
Guðrún Sveinsdóttir 4 years ago
I live in the far north (60 degrees north) and we are in the process of putting up wind turbines!!! We are thrilled to do our part making less pollution!
Happy Happy Gay Guy 4 years ago
A wind turbine manufacturer responded to Governor Abbott's nonsense saying that turbines can be ordered to be cold and heat resistant, but it costs about $20,000 extra. Texas is just cheap.
Vicki Perizzolo 4 years ago
and one wing should be painted black to protect birds...the Norwegians figured that out.. the GOP needs to pull it's collective head out of it's collect behind
Oliver Seitz 4 years ago
Fun fact: deregulation and initiatives from GOP stopped making power plants fit for winters also.
RELATED:
#2
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
Fascinating that infrastructure affecting millions must be left alone for profit, but a private citizen's reproduction isn't left alone for any reason whatsoever, isn't it...
Z Alexi 4 years ago
Gloria Steinem is 85...so we really need Irishrygirl. U go, grrrl! [Gloria wrote in Ms. mag 42 yrs ago: "What wld happen if magically, men could menstruate & women couldn't? Menstruation wld become an enviable, boast-worthy, guy event: Men wld brag about how long & how much. Gifts, religious ceremonies, family dinners & stag ptys wld mark the day. To prevent work loss for cramps among the more-powerful gender, Congress wld fund a Nat'l Inst of Dysmenorrhea. MDs wld research little about heart attacks, from which men were hormonally protected, but everytg about cramps. Sanitary supplies wld be fed'ly funded & free.] Rep Carolyn Maloney: "There's no data that proves tampons are 'unequivocally safe.'” We need more Irishygirls, pls. Wear pants, they're more comfortable & Rudy Giuliani can't look up yr skirt. [Girls fought 60 yrs ago to be able to wear pants in 1-12 grades; imagine not being allowed to wear warm pants on cold days~~or EVER~~in school!]
William Baker 4 years ago
if anyone thinks socialism would prevent all of this......i doubt it. socialism would just make it easier to control everyone except the rich. those in control would rewrite the rules to protect the rich , just as some think is already being done. just ask Pelosi what she honestly would put up with
Chris Watson 4 years ago
How lame. Power grids and human life cannot be compared. How many babies have you killed?
#3
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
Ayn Rand's true philosophy: I AM EXCEPTIONAL! So give me all the goodies. You leech.
qwerty 4 years ago
AKA a powerful combination of narcissism and manipulation.
Load More Replies... Easily Excitable Panda 4 years ago
Ted just took his family on a vacation to Cancun. Ted is blaming his children. Ted is a terrible person. Don't be a Ted.
somnomania 4 years ago
in general, this seems to be how the GOP does things. preach about how bad socialism is and how it's going to kill the country (also disregarding all of the systems already in place that are technically socialist) but then complain when they lose access to vital systems.
Texas relies on its own power grid. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, aka Ercot, manages it. A nonprofit corporation, it's still overseen by the Public Utility Commission of Texas, a state agency. Ercot decided to turn off power for millions of customers after the freezing temperatures shut down several of their power plants. It was either that or risk the collapse of the entire power grid.
Some people, from professors and experts to ordinary Americans and those directly affected by the cold, suggested that electricity deregulation is to blame for Texas’ inability to cope with the winter crisis. Meanwhile, others implied that what some Republicans warned would happen under socialism, in fact, happened under capitalism. In short, people are angry that the federal government isn’t overseeing the entire situation in Texas.
#4
James016 4 years ago
They prefer the *freedom* to let people starve to death, than being forced to contribute/pay taxes to keep their fellow human beings alive.
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
I personally, as an American, child of veterans, do not mind paying more taxes for infrastructure, education, and healthcare. It's just common sense. If you want E Pluribus Unum, you can't ignore the Pluribus.
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Kat Hoth 4 years ago
There are basically two types of people in the US, those that have compassion and those that don't.
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
I've found that true anywhere I've been in the world. The difference being, some people offload that whole "take care of things" onto their government (socialism) and can lack compassion without anyone being *hurt*!
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Suzanne Haigh 4 years ago
No one likes paying taxes, everyone complains but no one takes any action to get them stopped in Europe because of the services they provide for EVERYONE. Once these services dry up though, like in Britain then Britain is heading for trouble.
Carrie Roettger 4 years ago
A mayor from Colorado City Texas resigned because he posted on FB that the government and power companies owe you nothing and that if you're too lazy to figure out how to keep your family warm and find water you don't deserve a "handout". That's the GOP attitude in a nutshell. Hell, Ted Cruz abandoned us. They don't care unless you can give them money or power.
#5
Hannah Edwards 4 years ago
What does GOP mean? All I can come up with is Game Of Phones, so it’s probably not that.
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago
Gop once meant "Grand Old Party" but today it's known as Greedy Old Perverts.
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Ian MacFarlane 4 years ago
People died and are still dying from Covid19 because of Republican economic and social theories, which were applied furiously in the past four years.
Happy Happy Gay Guy 4 years ago
People on the Texas grid are also getting utility bills anywhere from a few thousand to $200,000… because there are no regulations to prevent such gouging.
Cory Tollman 4 years ago
A few months ago I saw a video that kind of suggested El Paso was getting screwed because they were contractually obligated to buy their power from a nuclear plant in Arizona at a higher rate than other cities in Texas were paying. Well, I guess they aren't complaining now.
Nikki Sevven 4 years ago
People have quite literally always died for GOP philosophies, because said philosophies don't care if the many die as long as the few get to be billionaires.
Mickie Shea 4 years ago
Capitalism without regulations takes its supporters into seditious activities. Plenty of dollars can be made through takin care of people.
#6
esperanza eterna 4 years ago
https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2016/09/f33/TX_Energy%20Sector%20Risk%20Profile.pdf
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Pam Wilson-Hallinan 4 years ago
You all need to vote Ted OUT when he comes up for re-election just like us in KY need to vote out McConnell!
Easily Excitable Panda 4 years ago
He only went because his children wanted to go. Yes, he blamed his kids.
CultOfBambi 4 years ago
Never mind the fact that this current weather catastrophe, and so many others, are a result of climate change, which is itself caused (at least in part) by the use of fossil fuels for energy production.
Zenozenobee 4 years ago
It's juste like kids. You get them in thé middle of doing something Bad/not allowed/dangerous : "that's not me madame/ not my fault/i swear to you madame!".... Guess politics have not grow their sense of responsability since kindergarden
Heather Atwood 4 years ago
I think it is AMAZING that people think one senator can do ANYTHING!!! What's he going to do, really? It just looks bad that he wasn't able to take the misery with the rest of the state. But the democratic mayor of Austin left town after telling people to stay home... that was much more hypocritical in my book.
Mickie Shea 4 years ago
the governor of Texas is our own, TEX-AS(S). Another crook in high office. ie trip and cruz
CNN reports that dozens of people across the southern US states have died because of the weather. The number of victims is at least 21. Meanwhile, the BBC writes that over 100 million Americans are under a winter weather warning; over 71 percent of the entire US was covered by snow by Wednesday afternoon.
As of Wednesday, there have been around 2.3 million power outages all over Texas, leaving around a quarter of the state with no access to electricity or heating. The situation is so dire, Texans are bringing in farm and wild animals into their homes to keep them warm while volunteers are rescuing sea turtles by the thousands so they don’t freeze to death.
#7
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago
It must be. In the Netherlands it's €0,22 per kWh. Can't imagine it would be any higher in the US.
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kjorn 4 years ago
is this that guy who regulate the electricity price in US? shkreli-60...ea938e.jpg 
WillemPenn 4 years ago
But see capitalism is working by supplying power only to those who want it most. Clearly poor people don't want to live so the system is working! /*snark
Happy Happy Gay Guy 4 years ago
MONEY TALKS and a lot of Texans will be hearing this message. Several companies that relocated to Texas from California have announced that they will leave Texas this year.
Marnie 4 years ago
Some amount of capitalism is good and will raise the standard of living. It is unfettered, unregulated, "free" capitalism that causes the problem. The word "free" is the culprit. The flag-waving patriots hear the word "free" and think that always means something wonderful.
Velaseri Cousland 4 years ago
From what I can tell capitalism has created nothing but western chauvinism, neo-imperialism, massive greed, planned obsolescence and lowering of the poverty line with spin to look better. The fact that capitalist economist say $1.90 a day is "dragging people out of poverty" says it all. The US has literal food deserts, towns without drinking water or sanitation, hookworm outbreaks, lower child mortality rates and life expectancy than countries in South America; meanwhile Vienna is thriving. Capitalism has a lot of good propaganda and little else.
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Nanci York 4 years ago
https://www.ft.com/content/0e746280-e72c-4087-9c0d-df2a7af82b77 According to this article in the Financial Times, the price has jumped 10,000% from an average of 12 cents per KWH to $9 per KWH.
#8
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
Fact: Per capita, tax dollars paid in the US federal system (federal only) are not distributed based upon contribution. At one point, a Rocky Mtn state was receiving almost two dollars in federal funding for every dollar paid in taxes. Where'd the extra dollar come from? States like Cali, Mass.,NY, etc. IF they really believed in "get out what you put in", these folks would be in a world more of hurt.
Enea 4 years ago
Speaking from Europe here: That's how solidarity-based systems work and enables to even out differences in capacities and ressources. However, PEOPLE NEED TO BE EDUCATED ON THIS. It's simply crazy that exactly those states profiting the most from a system of solidarity cultivate a rhetoric of non-empathy and selfishness. (Btw., we see some very disturbing comparable tendencies in European states too).
Load More Replies... CultOfBambi 4 years ago
Crikey! Yet another thing about the US that sounds completely batshit, but is true -and is just accepted / ignored.
Jen Cook 4 years ago
I'm in Canada where we had the same -40 polar vortex with 45 mile an hour winds. We generate and maintain our power through a what is called a Capital Corporation, it is our province who makes the decisions for out grid, we are not beholden to any huge Federal intrusion (which is Texas excuse for it's current grid) all profits remain in the province and go to updating and maintaining the grid as well as other provincial expenses. The "federal oversight" scare tactics Texas politicians use to make individuals and private companies rich is shameless. Texas system was created with no responsibility to anything but profit. I hope this is a catalyst for some positive change, weather trends indicate this will become more frequent for the southern US time for the GOP, who has had complete control over Texas energy policy for 2 decade to step up or step down. They were warned this would happen in 2011 and ignored it for a decade. Unforgivable.
Shelley Kapach 4 years ago
This is what the UCP is working toward in Alberta, Canada. Privatize everything, including our healthcare. Conservatives are so selfish and closed minded.
Thomas HIette 4 years ago
Oklahoma has their own grid as well. Multiple electric utilities serve various areas of OK. Payne county very large rural county is served by 8.
#9
Perfumista Perfumista 4 years ago
So, aside from the armed forces, what does he think our tax dollars and utility payments are for?
Connie Hirsch 4 years ago
For-profit private prisons and ICE detention centers.
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Hans 4 years ago
If he is in favour of anarchy, he makes a good point. He might misunderstand the eficiency of modern society, where labour is divided by specialisation, and where reliable governments provide basic services so that you do not need to care for it. With the same argument, everyone would need to keep a medical lab and become a genetical engineer in case the next pandemic comes, as, you know, even in crises people need to care for themselves. God, it is hard to comprehend how stupid some people are.
Nicole Weymann 4 years ago
What the hell IS the government's responsibility supposed to be? Caring for their people is the most important thing they are being paid for! And the power providers? Does he think people pay the power providers for fun or out of the goodness of their hearts? OF COURSE providing stuff and keeping structures up/maintaining is their job! Honestly: people have been specializing and centralizing for thousands of years throughout societies, which is why we nowadays don't have to spend our time whittling our own spoons for soup, refining our own gas or installing our own plumbing, ffs. Expecting people in a city (small apartments, shops everywhere,...) to be prepared and store resources for a once-in-a-lifetime emergency is ridiculous
Seedy Vine 4 years ago (edited)
America: where we pay the rich everything to do nothing and the poor nothing to do everything.
Jonnan 4 years ago
To be fair ’The Strong will Survive the Weak shall Perish’ is a plank in the GOP platform.
Seedy Vine 4 years ago (edited)
It's like they're always trying to apply Darwinianism to situations like these, when most of them don't even believe in evolution.
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The argument, as some experts put it, is simple: even though winter snaps like this one are rare, the power infrastructure in Texas needs to be overhauled, improved, and upgraded to ensure that it functions in times of crisis. What’s more, there are calls for more regulation of the electricity market so that the infrastructure is properly maintained.
As Rebecca Goetz, an associate professor of history at NYU puts it, deregulation might lead to lower prices for the consumers (i.e. us because we’re choosing the suppliers ourselves, thus making everyone compete for our attention by lowering their prices), but it also leads to confusion. Your electricity supplier might not be the company that fixes your grid when something happens to it. Furthermore, maintenance fees aren’t enough to maintain the infrastructure. Or, in other words, you get what you pay for.
#10
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
It's so cold out that the food wasn't going to spoil *outside*, that's for sure. I wish the market had done what ours did when we had a huge power outage a few years ago: Just gave it away as people asked for it. Corporate insurance covered the loss. Why not let the food go as needed, not to waste/ *sigh*
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago
So the slogan on US police cars is incomplete? "To serve and protect...................capitalists"
Truth Monster 4 years ago
I get why police were doing what they were doing, but if I was them, I would have gone on a coffee break. On a normal day you don't want people dumpster diving because of liabilities, but if a crowd shows up at a fking dumpster because they are hungry, let them have it.
BlahBlahBlackSheepah 4 years ago
Some people have no empathy or common sense and won't rise up until an untenable situation personally impacts their lives
Shelley Kapach 4 years ago
Nero fiddling as Rome burns; the Americans will go the same way. Sadly.
#11
Chelsea Corkum 4 years ago
As a resident of the North Atlantic Canada, where there is a large windfarm....i CAN CONFIRM THAT WINDMILLS CAN WORK IN THE FREEZING RAIN.
Barbara Kelly 4 years ago
And as a resident of the frigid in winter Canadian prairie, i can confirm that our wind farms generate power in WAY sub-zero temperatures, snow, sleet...etc.
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CatWoman312 4 years ago
There are going to be A LOT of lawsuits in response to this. Maybe capitalists can idk stop being greedy sacks of s**t
Jenifer Halpern 4 years ago
It just goes to show how stupid these politicians are! They are so out of touch with real life. It's very scary!
Guðrún Sveinsdóttir 4 years ago
I live in the northern hemisphere and there has been snow for one day this winter and I went to the grocery store today in my slippers and light clothing while Texans are freezing to death. Climate change is NOT a hoax!! I have never seen a winter like this in my life and Im in my fifties. Its getting hotter every year and it's scary to us. The summers are hotter, the winters are hotter, the wind is stronger etc. Texans should prepare for these winters in the future by any means because this is not going to get any better.
Guðrún Sveinsdóttir 4 years ago
I live in the northern hemisphere and we are lucky enough to use water power plants because we are blessed with water everywhere but we are still in the process of putting up wind turbines. Also we are a socialized society and therefore pay higher taxes but WOW how grateful we are the more I watch how the US society is functioning. The corruption is mind blowing!!
Jason Jason 4 years ago
Same here we have wind turbines in sydney nova scotia where there is lots of snow and freezing rain very cold temps and these turbines are working just fine
Octavia Hansen 4 years ago
It's a shame that voter's memory are so short . . . need to remember this for the next election(s), and the next, and the next . . .
lakitha tolbert 4 years ago
And the reason they decided to not winterize is not just for the money, but they actually believed in the philosophy that climate change isnt real. or rather, that's the excuse they used!
#12
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago
Remembering all the US jokes about people in socialist countries waiting in line for their daily bread....
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
And, as my second cousins would remind me, toilet paper, a bottle of aspirin....
Load More Replies... A Head 4 years ago
That's actually the grocery (HEB) that I go to, about a mile from my house. There was another lime, just as long, going in the other direction. Took me about an hour to get in on Tuesday. I heard about the 15 item limit from a nearby friend, but they didn't seem to have it when I went. I got about 30 things and went through self checkout (10 items or fewer), and nobody said anything. The people who work at HEB are simply amazing. It's a great store. Somehow they manage to restock every shelf every night, even during this sh*tshow.
Seedy Vine 4 years ago
The 15-item limit reminds me of the years that I could afford no more than 15 items in a grocery store at any one time. I was working full-time. It was just that my rent was so high. The whole system needs changing. This is just more evidence.
Luiza NP 4 years ago
Either way, there were a lot of different historical periods thorough the URSS history. And there were a lot of different places, with specific characteristics and problems. It is, however, not debatable that the Ksar Era were FAR worse in terms of life quality than the lives under in the Soviet Union period. The URSS, for most people, was an extreme life improvement comparing to what it had been before. You could say that capitalism maybe would be better for them, but you cannot compare countries and time periods without considering their different circumstances
Heather Atwood 4 years ago
Hey folks-this is only temporary. My daughters are both in TX and said yesterday that other than bottled water, everything has pretty much been restocked. I am pretty sure that doesn't happen in actual socialist countries!
lakitha tolbert 4 years ago
For five years we've been demonizing Venezuela for looking like this. I wonder if hte Venezuelans are laughing or crying about it?
Mickie Shea 4 years ago
Tis typical for capitalist profiteers to blame others for their own faults. ie. trumpeteers rioting and blaming those who're not present.
According to history expert Goetz, Texans prefer cheap electricity to a reliable infrastructure that’s able to efficiently tough out heat spikes, as well as cold snaps. And before you ask, the technology for making tech (including renewable tech like wind turbines, as well as traditional energy sources like natural gas) resistant to the cold does exist. It’s all a question of how much companies want to invest into upgrading the current infrastructure and what the cost of that would be.
#13
Easily Excitable Panda 4 years ago
And to the wrong people. :( Texans suffer for their incompetence, not them.
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Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
Ted Cruz will one day be forced to eat his words. I hope in a Dantean afterlife setting, but I'm a bit cranky today.
Mewton’s Third Paw 4 years ago
That’s magical thinking. The only way is if he’s voted out. The nation isn’t going to hold them accountable beyond that.
Load More Replies... Honu 4 years ago
There are some key differences between California and Texas in this. California had deadly outcomes from wildfires caused by the impact of high wind on electrical lines in some places. Our utilities have been mandated to fix the issue because we do not find that to be acceptable. While that happens, there are some areas that are subject to power cutoffs during fire season if the conditions are significantly hot and dry, and the winds are strong. Potential cutoffs are announced ahead of time to allow people to prepare. As the utilities do the work, those shutoffs have gotten smaller and shorter. Are power shutoffs good? No, but they save lives. Is change happening? Yes. It's going to take years, but at least it's happening. Texas has had issues with cold weather taking down their power supply before, leading to fatalities. FERC told them like a decade ago what they needed to do. They haven't mandated the power companies do anything. Apparently some folks dying is acceptable to them.
Louloubelle 4 years ago
I'm so done with politicians "tweeting". Just go and do your f*****g job. Stay off the internet and do some actual research, you clueless numpties.
Brandy Grote 4 years ago
They don't get that not all of California was without power. L.A. was just fine. The statewide mandate to have solar on more new construction will pay dividends over decades.
Brendan Boudreaux 4 years ago
I live in California. The fires have been so bad these last few years because we keep having hurricane force winds during peak fire season. They shut the power off because power lines blow down left and right. I live on a well, so when I dont have power, I dont have running water. It feels really great every year living off the grid for weeks, watching the fires get closer to my house, and have my (former) president tell me that it's my fault for not "raking my leaves"
qwerty 4 years ago
Republicans believing that forest fires are caused by "bad regulation" is like believing that asthma is caused by breathing. I would suggest you move, although it's almost impossible to find a home that isn't affected by the fires.
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Robert Miller 4 years ago
California restored power in a matter of days in some cases hours .Lets see how fast Taxass does it .
Curry on... 4 years ago
Lemme see - Fire or Snow? Fire or Snow? Fire destroys everything. Lots of snow is a huge inconvenience.
#14
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago
Stop calling them windmills. They are wind turbines. Windmills are the things that Don Quixote fought.
Marcellus the Third 4 years ago
YOu know this is a losing battle you're fighting, right? Against a nonexistent enemy? One could almost say... quixotic?
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Corey Brown 4 years ago
AMEN!! The sad part is, you could probably convince Ted and his minions this is true. Just like "STOP THE STEEL!!"
Lynn Morello 4 years ago
Nope, The WindMills are the local Government Politicians who sit in their nice cosy offices or are on Vacation in warmer states.
Vicki Perizzolo 4 years ago
take a good hard look at Flower Turbines....we can all be off the grid if we do it right..
MAKtheknife 4 years ago
I have the same issue with "hot water heaters" - they are water heaters, period! And the term used in Minnesota "Unthawed" which of course means it's frozen. Texas is unthawed!
#15
Luiza NP 4 years ago
I genuinely cannot understand how people think it is OK for corporations to have that kind of power. What’s the difference from authoritarians governments? The corporation’s have often more power than a country leader. Why do people don’t think about making the power of corporations democratic? Allowing them to do as they please with people lives is not democracy.
Seedy Vine 4 years ago
It certainly comes nowhere near to freedom either.
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lakitha tolbert 4 years ago
And lets not forget that the basis, the entire foundation even, of modern Republican philosophy, regarding taking care of many of these issues, is racial resentment, (the fear that Black and Brown people might benefit from anything that benefts the larger public), and their illogical adherence to Nixon's and Goldwater's Southern Strategy.
Marnie 4 years ago
Agreed, but of the poor people, why would poor black and brown people be effected more than other poor people?
Weezie Ray 4 years ago
Because of centuries of structural inequalities that ensure that they do.
Load More Replies... Maria Rodriguez 4 years ago
The whole country of Mexico is suffering terribly. This issue in Texas has taken away almost all of their power as well
The situation in Texas isn’t black-and-white. Everyone’s looking for someone to blame, but the situation is raising a lot of vital questions that might affect Texas and the rest of the US in the future, not just in the context of winter storms.
Let me play devil’s advocate for a moment here. Spending more money on upgrading the state’s power infrastructure is a good idea because it ensures that people have heating and electricity in times of crisis like during this rare cold snap. However, there are practical considerations to take into account. You might cold-proof your infrastructure, but where do we draw the line? Do we need to ensure it’s protected from every possible and rare eventuality?
#16
Nikki Sevven 4 years ago
What do you mean "every ten years?" It's literally a daily occurrence, ffs.
Chris Sprucefield 4 years ago
It's socialism under the guise of capitalism. In Socialism, you don't put up reserves for a rainy day, and make sure that your business can survive long-term to provide a steady and growing source of income like you do in Capitalism. Socialism, is the short-term maximisation of output with minimal input, with punitive recourse if the goals are not met. Don't believe me? Look at all the socialist states throughout time, that has come and gone, where the elite has milked the people, their businesses and the resources dry, leaving nothing behind. USSR, Cuba, Korea, Venezuela and many many others, where the society fails and you end up in wars, unless curbed by a dictatorial "management". Capitalist states tend to go on for many generations, where bad companies gets wiped out, and good companies thrive. Enron is one of many examples. If it had been a proper capitalism with a protective state, the banks would never have been bailed out, the savers would have been covered.
Happy Happy Gay Guy 4 years ago
The power authorities in Texas should be BILLED for the aid needed, and SUED INTO THE GROUND for the deaths that occurred.
Richard Keel 4 years ago
Socialism is defined by the state's involvement in the redistribution of resources (including funds) from those who can pay to those who need it. If capitalism worked, "The Market" would have ensured that none of this happened
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Andraya Begley 4 years ago
Wyndham PRICE GOUGING in the middle of this crisis?? That's F*****g EVIL.
David Higginbotham 4 years ago
A hotel near me had no power or water but could not change listing to show that they were not accepting guests so they set the price to $999 per night to stop people from driving all the way there just to get turned away
Load More Replies... Mewton’s Third Paw 4 years ago
It’s a long story but basically a good part of the population is miseducated to the point of not understanding reality anymore, all while billionaires and paid-for politicians change the laws and rig the system in their favor. Simultaneously, technology layered on poverty and declining middle class keep people unwilling or unable to act, even when they see the need. Can’t revolt if you’re brainwashed to agree with your enemy, or if you’re too poor and hungry to fight or if there’s likes on Facebook that will keep your dopamine flowing enough to tolerate the boot on your neck.
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Seedy Vine 4 years ago
Cops who guard rotting food from the poor may one day find that they and their loved ones have become the poor...
Kenneth Wolfe 4 years ago
No but a using the sense that God gave you doesn’t seem to apply to Texans
Happy Happy Gay Guy 4 years ago
Just a note to HOLLYWOOD FRED MEYER: why didn't they invite people to pick up food? And who contacted police to guard a DUMPSTER?
#18
GFSTaylor 4 years ago
It's the exact same shortsightedness that makes fossil fuel companies want to drill and destroy in National Parks - land that should be free for all to enjoy. The fossil fuels will run out in a matter of decades at best, but the ecosystems and landscapes will have been wrecked for centuries and some species driven to extinction, so the land can never be returned to its natural state. All destroyed so the rich people who own the fossil fuel companies and the politicains who take their money and sign the leases, can make more money.
Octavia Hansen 4 years ago
Again . . . all this goes back to the voters. Everyone looks for a bargain until it bites them in the ass . . .
I’m all for spending more to stay safe and have a reliable system. It’s vital to do. But at some point, ordinary Texans will be asking whether money’s being flushed down the drain by investing in upgrades that might be ‘useless.’ People tend to invest in what they think is likely to happen and that’s a very human thing to do. How much is too much? Where do we draw the line?
Don’t forget that the companies will have to heavily invest in maintaining the new infrastructure. And though that will ensure that some people will have steady work, it would mean that electricity costs would increase for the average citizen. Is everyone prepared to pay more? Some, of course. Especially in the interests of a reliable system. But not everyone. How do you get a consensus when people feel very passionately about their opinions that don't mesh well together?
#19
Maria Ribaulo 4 years ago
No regulations. No laws. Only profit for the fat cats.
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Mike Rodrick 4 years ago
You can thank Ronald Reagan for deregulation. It's been carried on by every republican administration since.
Freya the Wanderer 4 years ago
The scum that shut off Lawrence's power and then charged a fee to reconnect are farther beneath cockroaches than roaches are beneath humans.
Seedy Vine 4 years ago
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas cannot reliably get electricity to Texas. Are we trapped in a Ray Bradbury novel? (He wrote "Farenheit 451" in which the firemen were the ones who actually started the fires.)
Kenneth Wolfe 4 years ago
Texans go it alone attitude is coming back to bite it in the ass as most sensible people knew it would. You really should secede
#20
Hannah Edwards 4 years ago
Vulnerable people will have died because they can’t keep warm. It’s corporate man slaughter at best.
Seedy Vine 4 years ago (edited)
I wonder why that law which gave corporations personhood cannot be used to try and punish a corporation for manslaughter. Perhaps it can be done?
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Luiza NP 4 years ago
I genuinely cannot understand how people think it is OK for corporations to have that kind of power. What’s the difference from authoritarians governments? The corporation’s have often more power than a country leader. Why do people don’t think about making the power of corporations democratic? Allowing them to do as they please with people lives is not democracy.
Seedy Vine 4 years ago (edited)
And now they're set to be rewarded for their bad behaviour as power costs soar. This is why energy companies need to be solar-based and community-owned.
CatWoman312 4 years ago
Considering corporate greed is what has caused the pandemic to still be a thing this isn’t surprising
Happy Happy Gay Guy 4 years ago
People are receiving bills ranging from $1000s of dollars to $200,000.
Gail Cloutier 4 years ago
Whose the dickheads that let Texas have it's own grid?? WTF!! Money truly is the root of ALL evil!!
Douglas Turner 4 years ago
But that is how the system is supposed to work... nobody wants pumpkins in November, Homer... when people are freezing is exactly when they won't mind paying a little more NOT TO DIE...
#21
qwerty 4 years ago
Lack of empathy= symptom of psychopathy. Callousness= symptom of psychopathy. Coincidence?
Richard Henderson 4 years ago
I have been noticing more and more than conservatives seem to be sorely lacking in the empathy department.
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Vicki Perizzolo 4 years ago
pretty sure even the strong need electricity and gas to heat/power up their homes to survive...did that idiot run off to Cancun too?
Mickie Shea 4 years ago
It ought piss all, as we are all so intertwined, whether we like it or not.
Chris Sprucefield 4 years ago
Well, that mayor has failed his public duty in overseeing his role as a protector of the public, and as a balance to the corporations.
DetongLhamo 4 years ago
So he wants the elderly, the sick and all babies and infants to be left in the snow?
There’s another issue here as well. Greater influence of the federal government could help maintain the infrastructure and ensure that what we’re seeing in Texas right now doesn’t happen again. But here’s the rub: Americans venerate self-reliance and independence. Being overly reliant on the federal government (as opposed to the state government) isn’t something that comes naturally to a lot of Americans, especially Texans who have a long and proud history.
#22
Peter Trudell Jr 4 years ago
Texas ignored the '89 report that they need to winterize... they ignored it and 2010 hit... another report saying they need to do something... they ignored it and 2021 happened. There are times I really hate our government. Republicans have been in charge for 26 years and it's way past time to vote them out.
Philly Bob Squires 4 years ago
No, they'll vote them right back in again. That "better dead than dem" mentality, unfortunately.
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#23
Vicki Perizzolo 4 years ago
this is brought on by our own greed and stupidity -- 1970 - the first Earth Day - we KNEW what we were doing, corporations KNEW what they were doing....Al Gore knew what we were doing and Bush got voted in - and Drumpinski took it one step further...deny something we KNOW is going on and pretend it goes away-- NOW we have this...we have almost 60 years of fkg off our planet and now we have to fix it NOW
Maria Ribaulo 4 years ago
Ever heart of climate change? Or is it normal to have icicles inside in Texas?
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Becky Samuel 4 years ago
The problem is that there aren't two sides. Liberalism is not the same as socialism which is not the same as communism. Californians may be liberal but they're still capitalists.
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#24
Steve Wilson 4 years ago
I’m sure that’s exactly the type of leadership the citizens expected when they elected this clown. “When the going gets tough....yada yada”.😒
In the short term? Absolutely, Texas needs help from the government: people need quick and decisive action. However, the government isn’t always quick to respond in times of crisis (remember the response to Hurricane Katrina?). What’s more, if you move power away from local governments and communities, you might find (emphasis on might) that the people closest to you and most capable of lending a hand are no longer in the position to do so. Just some food for thought.
#25
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
This can be said of the whole US power grid, really. Even tho' it's not privatized, it's being ignored so we can... uh... yeah, I got nothing.
Adriaan Verhelle 4 years ago
Exactly, people in other states are just not aware of those issues because when something like this would happen, their grid would get backed up by neighboring states. Not sure what is worse, now finally haven the issue exposed and possibly dealt with or live in any of the other states that just keep ignoring the issue until the entire system will collapse...
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M O'Connell 4 years ago
Brand new power transformers contain porcelain parts... They're tolerant of high heat and have excellent dielectric properties. The age of a transformer is entirely meaningless so long as it has not been damaged. It's just an iron core and a coil of wire, and will remain-so indefinitely. As long as that transformer was operating within its rated output capacity, there was no need to do ANYTHING with it. I think you've been sucked into the fallacy that everything must be "new" because "new" is somehow superior. A 500kVA transformer (operational) is a 500kVA transformer (operational), regardless of its age. All that really matters is rating and condition, age is irrelevant.
Adriaan Verhelle 4 years ago
Totally agree. Furthermore, no one has forced any of the Texan residents to actually pick the company that supplied the cheapest electricity and/or chose profit over service. Such a system is only upheld if the vast majority op people buy into it. Blaming your government for a system that actually only survives by the choices of the masses is classical "blame everyone else but yourself" behavior. As with anything in a free economy, premium brands/services can only exist if the consumer is actually concerned about the premium. At this moment, it looks like in the past decades, the only thing Texan residents where concerned about is getting their electricity from the cheapest provider...
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Suzanne Burt 4 years ago
ERCOT is NOT a state agency. It is a non profit corporation. Public Utility Commission is the regulatory agency.
Brandy Grote 4 years ago
Tesla is moving to Texas. They make home solar products. Coincidence?
Suzanne Haigh 4 years ago
Well, one small consolation, the profits will be down, very, very down
Mark Howell 4 years ago
One thing springs to mind.... 'The fable of the ant and the grasshopper' ;o(
#26
Steve Wilson 4 years ago
Much like the Socialist programs of the New Deal, the Socialist bailouts in ‘08 & ‘09, it’s gonna take another dose of Socialist stimulus programs to keep the finger in the dike of capitalism. It won’t be enough to save the failing system but we’ll have to find out the hard way. America has been in steady decline ever since JFK was killed.
Nikki Sevven 4 years ago
My neighbor has a sign posted in his yard that reads "taxation is theft." It's posted literally right next to the fire hydrant. Which is paid for by taxes. Ugh.
#27
Luiza NP 4 years ago
And Texas doesn’t suffer economic sanctions from USA that make it poor, as far as I know…
Strahd Ivarius 4 years ago
The USA imposes to Texas the outdated doctrine of extreme capitalism!
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Constantine Nazárenko 4 years ago
capitalism -- once in a lifetime for a week. communism -- everyday for decades...
Steve Wilson 4 years ago (edited)
When I was in elementary school they used to show people staring at empty shelves in Russia telling us “this is life under communism”. I’m reminded of those old films every time I go grocery shopping at my local WalMart. Lots of empty shelves even in good weather. When did OK become communist? I must’ve missed that.
Do you think that capitalism is to blame for the situation in Texas, dear Readers? If not, do you think that the deregulation of the electricity market made the situation worse? How do you think the system should be reformed? Do you think that relying on the government more is a good idea in the long-term? Share your thoughts in the comment section below. And those of you currently affected by the cold—stay warm, you have our support.
#28
Samantha Lomb 4 years ago
uh yeah. Capitalism is about screwing the working class to increase profits for the wealthy, so of course it worked as designed
#29
Seedy Vine 4 years ago
And to think, he could've been a hero if he just said nothing, rolled up his sleeves, and simply helped some of his constituents. You know, think outside the box.
Chich 4 years ago
Rolling up your sleeves and helping some one else out? That is *not* the republican way.
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Cassie 4 years ago
I'm astounded at the logic that individuals should have prepared for all eventualities while those running the infrastructure don't owe the people enough to prepare said infrastructure for a known eventuality. In addition, the people are not allowed to ask for help, but the state is begging for federal funds as if the feds owe them something?? And what the heck is the government for if not the people??
Bama Belle 4 years ago
He's lucky those citizens didn't come for him with pitchforks & torches.
Trish 4 years ago
Perhaps they should sue him for his wages gained as mayor as he fundamentally misunderstands that they paid him and he did not provide the service he promised which was to be the mayor. Their taxes paid his wages and taxes are basically what they paid the government to provide services and if he didn't do what was expected, they deserve a refund.
Jen Cook 4 years ago
He's now complaining about his wife losing her job and income. So his entire family was supported with tax dollars and he's angry it's no longer so. Well, be resourceful, pull yourself up by your bootstraps, if you're strong, you'll survive, of course while turning down any public unemployment assistance.
Martha Higgins 4 years ago
P.S. to the former Mayor of Colorado City, "you" cannot "harass myself". Only I can harass myself and I choose not to do so. If you don't understand this, ask an English teacher.
#30
Cynthia Bonville 4 years ago
Well he wasn't a scholar or particularly good at much but sound bites.. It isn't a philosophy my dear, it is a failure of education - and ignorance is desirable because it is exploitable.
Jamie S. Martindale 4 years ago
Gotta be able to fight back with sound bites, though -- most thinking is "System1" style (see Kahneman, Tversky, Thaler, Lakoff, et al.) & people are strongly motivated by that kind of argument - simplistic, emotional, intuitive. It's sad but true. Progressives must message better!
Load More Replies... D Peterson 4 years ago
False. Texas decided money was God & they wanted nothing to do with the Federal government. Texas is always saying they want to secede from the USA because they don't need us. They never mind asking for bailouts from the rest of the country. Check out insurance rates for Texas, they have so many disasters the cost of insurance is skyrocketing.
Blackheart 4 years ago
American here. I like my freedoms, thank you very much. I like democracy. Yes, TX has a problem, a big one at that. There are 50 states last time I checked. Texans have the right to vote and make changes. I bet they do too after this fiasco. Americans are not stupid, evil, or brainwashed for wanting their freedom. You want to be socialist, be socialist. Move to a socialist country. Have at it. But the US is a democracy. Nothing is free from problems. Sounds like the monopoly laws need enforcing in TX.
#32
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago
Breaking News!!! CEO lies to board of directors about his incompetence.
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What do you think ?
Ines 4 years ago
Has anyone noticed that Biden did NOT tell Texans they can't have federal aid because they didn't vote for him? Unlike Trump when California was on fire...
Sonya Jersey 4 years ago (edited)
I'm sorry that this is happening in the US. I live in East Europe and when covid started, all utilities companies didn't shut anyone off for not paying bills, bills were delayed for months, they worked non stop so that we could have everything and not pay... and we weren't freezing or anything like that. Banks delayed all payments for mortgages and stuff for the year, so people would have money to eat and not lose their homes/cars. I cannot understand why the US thinks it's such a great country, when so many people are suffering and are being denied basic needs.
James016 4 years ago
I'm in the UK and the energy company I was on at the time let people reduce their direct debits to a much lower amount than they would normally allow. One time I couldn't pay my water bill on time. The water company was very understanding and said not to worry, pay it when I could (within reason) and they would not cut me off.
Load More Replies... WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago (edited)
Chance of this being a wake up call : 0. As soon as the cold is gone everything will be back to normal. Nothing will change because the capitalists running this shyteshow are sitting warm and dry in some other part of the country. They are enjoying the rising prices of electricity. They are making huge profits now, underlining once more that winterizing their power plants is costly and contra-productive.
Grumble O'Pug 4 years ago
Texas is a head up the ass kind of state, I lived there for 4 years.
Load More Replies... Eliška Hůlková 4 years ago
I live in a country in Europe that used to be communist (literally part of the Eastern block). Let me tell you: communism suck in so many ways. I was lucky I was born after the revolution, but I know many people (including my parents) that lived in communism and it sucked. Some people suffered terribly. BUT these things that Republicans claim will take you into communism will NOT cause that. Government regulations of important industry sectors and free health care and similar things work for many countries in Europe. Even the ones that were never communist to begin with. Our country still has all of it and it works great for us. I am very thankful to live in my country that is safe, gives me free healthcare and education and I am more than ready to pay my taxes and contribute after I finish school. (Disclaimer: It's not like we have no problems at all, but I think it's still great we don't have to worry about these things.)
ivan bolitekurac 4 years ago
Yep,communism suck but many people in the USA don't realize that.
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Lili 4 years ago
This makes me remember the Australian wildfire back in early 2020. I'm starting to see a pattern here. After the whole thing in the Capital a month ago comes this disaster, I think we are officially in an upgrade version of 2020. The upside of it? Now no one can argue climate change is a hoax anymore (or can they?)
Marianne Contrino 4 years ago
Oh they still are, and I honestly don't think anything will ever convince them, unfortunately. Their heads are either too far up the climate deniers asses, or buried too deep in the sand to acknowledge the truth. Plus, it would seem, most would rather watch the world burn, then admit they were wrong.
Load More Replies... Marianne Contrino 4 years ago
So let me see if I've got this right...a solidly red state, that's been run by Republican politicians since, well since forever really, is blaming Democrats, The Green New Deal, and socialism for the problems they created?!?! Boy, for the so called "party of personal responsibility", they sure seem to never take any.
Thomas 4 years ago
More like: The Party of "it's your personal responsibility for my own faults, because I hate you and I'm a greedy A-hole".
Load More Replies... CatWoman312 4 years ago
I imagine they’ll be filing bankruptcy before the end of the month. The amount of lawsuits in response to this are going to be insane. Wrong death, negligence to name a few
Rukkia 4 years ago
Quick side note. If you do not have electricity due to a power outtage, call your company and demand reparations for the damages ensued. They made a business deal with you and are responsible for their failure to uphold their part of the deal. Yes, they do owe you. They went into a business contract with you.
Tilo von Brandis 4 years ago
The issue is not so much capitalism as much as it is neoliberalism, a kind of radical capitalism where everything is about money. Reagan introduced and starting imposing neoliberal ideology onto the US, i.e a system that proposed small government and where money is the only thing that matters. Neoliberalism favour the rich and believes that rich people are better human being than middle class and poor people and with neoliberalism, a swim or sink mentality is prevalent. Neoliberalism is a policy model that encompasses both politics and economics and seeks to transfer the control of economic factors from the public sector to the private sector. Many neoliberalism policies enhance the workings of free market capitalism and attempt to place limits on government spending, government regulation, and public ownership
Ines 4 years ago
Has anyone noticed that Biden did NOT tell Texans they can't have federal aid because they didn't vote for him? Unlike Trump when California was on fire...
Sonya Jersey 4 years ago (edited)
I'm sorry that this is happening in the US. I live in East Europe and when covid started, all utilities companies didn't shut anyone off for not paying bills, bills were delayed for months, they worked non stop so that we could have everything and not pay... and we weren't freezing or anything like that. Banks delayed all payments for mortgages and stuff for the year, so people would have money to eat and not lose their homes/cars. I cannot understand why the US thinks it's such a great country, when so many people are suffering and are being denied basic needs.
James016 4 years ago
I'm in the UK and the energy company I was on at the time let people reduce their direct debits to a much lower amount than they would normally allow. One time I couldn't pay my water bill on time. The water company was very understanding and said not to worry, pay it when I could (within reason) and they would not cut me off.
Load More Replies... WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago (edited)
Chance of this being a wake up call : 0. As soon as the cold is gone everything will be back to normal. Nothing will change because the capitalists running this shyteshow are sitting warm and dry in some other part of the country. They are enjoying the rising prices of electricity. They are making huge profits now, underlining once more that winterizing their power plants is costly and contra-productive.
Grumble O'Pug 4 years ago
Texas is a head up the ass kind of state, I lived there for 4 years.
Load More Replies... Eliška Hůlková 4 years ago
I live in a country in Europe that used to be communist (literally part of the Eastern block). Let me tell you: communism suck in so many ways. I was lucky I was born after the revolution, but I know many people (including my parents) that lived in communism and it sucked. Some people suffered terribly. BUT these things that Republicans claim will take you into communism will NOT cause that. Government regulations of important industry sectors and free health care and similar things work for many countries in Europe. Even the ones that were never communist to begin with. Our country still has all of it and it works great for us. I am very thankful to live in my country that is safe, gives me free healthcare and education and I am more than ready to pay my taxes and contribute after I finish school. (Disclaimer: It's not like we have no problems at all, but I think it's still great we don't have to worry about these things.)
ivan bolitekurac 4 years ago
Yep,communism suck but many people in the USA don't realize that.
Load More Replies... Lili 4 years ago
This makes me remember the Australian wildfire back in early 2020. I'm starting to see a pattern here. After the whole thing in the Capital a month ago comes this disaster, I think we are officially in an upgrade version of 2020. The upside of it? Now no one can argue climate change is a hoax anymore (or can they?)
Marianne Contrino 4 years ago
Oh they still are, and I honestly don't think anything will ever convince them, unfortunately. Their heads are either too far up the climate deniers asses, or buried too deep in the sand to acknowledge the truth. Plus, it would seem, most would rather watch the world burn, then admit they were wrong.
Load More Replies... Marianne Contrino 4 years ago
So let me see if I've got this right...a solidly red state, that's been run by Republican politicians since, well since forever really, is blaming Democrats, The Green New Deal, and socialism for the problems they created?!?! Boy, for the so called "party of personal responsibility", they sure seem to never take any.
Thomas 4 years ago
More like: The Party of "it's your personal responsibility for my own faults, because I hate you and I'm a greedy A-hole".
Load More Replies... CatWoman312 4 years ago
I imagine they’ll be filing bankruptcy before the end of the month. The amount of lawsuits in response to this are going to be insane. Wrong death, negligence to name a few
Rukkia 4 years ago
Quick side note. If you do not have electricity due to a power outtage, call your company and demand reparations for the damages ensued. They made a business deal with you and are responsible for their failure to uphold their part of the deal. Yes, they do owe you. They went into a business contract with you.
Tilo von Brandis 4 years ago
The issue is not so much capitalism as much as it is neoliberalism, a kind of radical capitalism where everything is about money. Reagan introduced and starting imposing neoliberal ideology onto the US, i.e a system that proposed small government and where money is the only thing that matters. Neoliberalism favour the rich and believes that rich people are better human being than middle class and poor people and with neoliberalism, a swim or sink mentality is prevalent. Neoliberalism is a policy model that encompasses both politics and economics and seeks to transfer the control of economic factors from the public sector to the private sector. Many neoliberalism policies enhance the workings of free market capitalism and attempt to place limits on government spending, government regulation, and public ownership
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